There are 15 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 1998 Toyota Camryin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
1998 TOYOTA CAMRY, FRONT HEAD LIGHT COVERS HAVE CLOUDED UP REDUCING HEAD LIGHT BRIGHTNESS AND DISTANCE OF HEAD LIGHTS EFFECTIVENESS. *BF
BOTH ( LOW ) FRONT LIGHTS ARE NOT ADJUSTED PROPERLY. *YC
WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT WITH THE LOW BEAM LIGHTS ON THERE IS A BLIND SPOT IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR CONSUMER TO SEE THE ROAD. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
ABOUT 20 FEET OUT FROM HEAD OF DRIVER THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT CREATES A SHADOW IN FRONT OF VEHICLE ABOUT 20' TO 40' FRONT CENTER OF LINE TO RIGHT SHOULDER. IT IS MUCH WORSE ON BRIGHT LIGHTS. DEALER CONTACTED AND WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. ADJUSTMENTS MADE, PROBLEM COULD NT BE REMEDIED. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
LOW BEAM (LEFT) ONLY ILLUMINATES ABOUT 3 CAR LENGTHS AHEAD OF CAR ,WHEREAS THE RIGHT LOW BEAM ILLUMINATES WAY OUT AND A LITTLE TO THE RIGHT. TWICE TOOK VEHICLE TO SERVICE DEPT. ,DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND PROBLEM.MADE SLIGHT ADJUSTMENT ON RIGHT BEAM. I BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFINITE PROBLEM WITH THE LEFT BEAM AND LIVING IN DEER COUNTRY THIS REPRESENTS A SAFETY PROBLEM! PLASE HELP. *AK
CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH HEADLIGHTS. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS ONLY ILLUMINATE FOR A SHORT DISTANCE. ALSO ONCOMING PEDESTRIANS COULDN'T BE SEEN UNLESS THE VEHICLE GETS VERY CLOSE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
THE METAL DEFLACTOR INSIDE THE CONCEALED HEADLIGHTS BLOCKS OUT ALL LIGHT BEYOND 30 FEET. *AK
DAY TIME RUNNING HEAD LIGHTING SYSTEM, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. *YC
LOW BEAM HALOGEN HEADLIGHTS DO NOT CARRY TOO FAR. *AK
WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE IN USE, DRIVER CANNOT SEE ANY MORE THAN APPROXIMATELY 25 FEET IN FRONT GOING DOWN A HILL. PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO DEALER, AND PARTS WERE REPLACED. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK *SLC
HEADLIGHTS PROVIDE POOR VISABILITY AT NIGHT, THE LEFT SIDE HAS DARK SPOTS. HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED THREE TIMES, AND THERE HAS BEEN KNOW CHANGE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
RIGHT BEAM ON THE HEADLIGHTS IS FOCUSED HIGHER THAN THE LEFT. CAUSE UNKNOWN . DEALER ADJUSTED THE BEAM WHICH DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
INADEQUATE HEADLIGHTS, UNSAFE FOR NIGHT VISIBILITY.
ON COUNTRY ROAD WHEN GOING UP AND DOWN HILLS, THE LOW BEAM LIGHT SHINES ONLY ONE OR TWO CAR LENGHTS AND IS NOT A BEAM OF LIGHT BUT A BLOCK OF LIGHT WHICH STOPS ABRUPTLY. THERE IS TOTAL DARKNESS BEYOND THE BLOCK OF LIGHT. THESE LIGHTS ARE A SAFETY HAZARD. THE DEALER EXAMINED THE LIGHTS AND SAYS ARE TO SPECIFICATIONS. TOYOTA REGIONAL AND NATIONAL OFFICES ADVISED TO SUBMIT THIS ISSUE TO BBB AUTO LINE, WHICH I DID. BBB AUTO LINE ADVISES THIS IS A DESIGN ISSUE AND HOT SUBJECT TO THEIR PROGRAM. I AM NOW LOOKING TO THE DOT FOR HELP. THE HEADLAMS ON LOW BEAM ARE NOT SUFFICIENT TO SEE A SATE DISTANCE. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A DOT SAFETY ENGINEER DRIVE THIS MODEL CAR AT NIGHT ON A TWO LANE COUNTY ROAD AND RENDER AN OPINION. I WOULD BE WILLING TO OFFER MY VEHICLE AND PARTICIPATE IN THE TEST DRIVE.
DARK SPOT CAST FROM LEFT HEADLAMP, RESULTING IN POOR VISIBILITY.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026